CHAMPAIGN – It's too easy to pick on Illinois today. Besides, Purdue got to do it for three hours Saturday.

So instead of rehashing 13 consecutive losses, we'll offer up 13 positives:

1. Studies have shown alumni contributions aren't greatly affected by the performance of a university's high-profile sports programs. This is good for Illinois coffers considering how miserable football's been the last two seasons. The donations keep coming even if the first downs don't.

2. Saturday's mess wasn't televised. That means the alumni who didn't make it back to homecoming won't realize how poorly the alma mater played.

3. Next Saturday's game at Indiana is off the air, too. Another good omen: The UI's last win came against the Hoosiers, in a nontelevised game.

4. Corey Maggette looked like he had a swell time. The prep basketball star was treated royally at a Huff Hall scrimmage, fans of all sizes bringing posters and yelling his name. If only Robert Holcombe could get the same support.

5. Illinois made money Saturday without hiking a single student fee. It gave Purdue its sixth win, meaning the Boilermakers will play in a bowl, meaning the conference will receive guaranteed money, meaning Illinois will get a share of the pot.

6. Kurt Kittner's sure to honor his commitment. The Schaumburg High School quarterback has to sense he has a chance to play immediately, considering how the three Illinois quarterbacks have fared this season. He'd report to campus tomorrow if his guidance counselor gave him the OK.

7. If he's not going to play any more, Tim Lavery can concentrate on baseball. Itch Jones has a loaded team but could always use a hard-throwing lefty.

8. Next week's opponent looked horrible, too. Indiana lost 62-0 to Iowa to fall to 1-7. Illinois lost by 28 points in Iowa City. That's a 34-point difference. That's something to build on.

9. Northern Illinois lost to Ball State. Iowa State ended its 13-game losing streak, but the woebegone Huskies kept the Illini off the spot with their 14th straight loss.

10. The goal posts stand for another week. When and if Illinois wins another game, the standards are coming down at the hands of a success-starved student body. That's going to cost the UI a buck or two (money well spent).

11. Not everybody left Memorial Stadium by the end of the third quarter. A good 20,000 fans stuck around, which indicates a great deal of loyalty or a really free Saturday afternoon.

12. Earlier this week, the NCAA Management Council approved a proposal allowing Division I-A schools to count games against Division I-AA competition as 1 of 6 wins needed to qualify for a bowl. That might bail out the UI, which still has a date to fill next Sept. 12. A date that might be the UI's best chance to end what could be a three-season losing streak. Perhaps Prairie View A&M is available?

13. The way Joe Tiller attacked a clearly outmatched Illinois team late in the first half – 10 points in the final 1:06 – should tick the Illini off. If it's convinced the Boilermakers tried to run up the score, maybe the UI will get angry. Circle the calendar now: Oct. 24, 1998, at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Jim Rossow is sports editor of The News-Gazette.